Poll puts MORE pressure on Boris
... in by-election for seat Tories have never lost
BORIS Johnson was under fresh pressure last night as voters were expected to punish the Tories in what was one of their safest seats.
Days after suffering his biggest backbench rebellion, the PM was waiting to see if his party could cling on in a crucial by-election triggered by the Owen Paterson sleaze scandal.
Bookies expected the Tories to see their huge 23,000 majority in North Shropshire wiped out following a strong local campaign by Liberal Democrat candidate Helen Morgan.
As polls closed last night, Lib Dem Treasury spokesman Christine Jardine warned: ‘If the Conservative Party lose significant numbers of votes tonight in one of their safest seats in the country, there will be countless Conservative MPs looking over their shoulders nervously.’
The prosperous rural constituency has been held by the Tories since it was created in 1983. Ex-MP Mr Paterson had increased his majority to 22,949 at the general election two years ago.
But he was forced to quit after he broke lobbying rules. The scandal was made worse by the PM’s botched attempt to save him from punishment.
The Tories won a by-election in Bexley, south-east London, with a reduced majority two weeks ago, but since then a series of leaks have revealed that parties were held in Downing Street last Christmas in apparent breach of lockdown rules.
On Tuesday, a massive 101 Conservative MPs voted against government plans for vaccine passports as part of the curbs to tackle the Omicron surge.
National polls have given Labour a nine-point lead while the personal approval rating of Mr Johnson has slumped to an all-time low.